Friday, August 31, 2012

The Bill & Melinda Gates foundation launched the Grand Challenges in Global Health (GCGH) in partnership with the National Institutes of Health in 2003 which, according to the GCGH website, is aimed at "creating new tools that can radically improve health in the developing world." So far, 45 grants totaling $458 million were awarded for research projects involving scientists in over 30 countries.

But where has all the money actually gone? Towards developing and implementing water purification and sanitation systems? Or basic nutritional support aimed at optimizing immune function? How about providing shelter and medical facilities for the homeless? Not even close.

For example, a $100K grant was recently disbursed to Seth C. Kalichman, professor at the Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, for "Establishing an Anti-Vaccine Surveillance and Alert System," which intends to "establish an internet-based global monitoring and rapid alert system for finding, analyzing, and counteracting misinformation communication campaigns regarding vaccines to support global immunization efforts."

We can only wonder what organizations might be labeled as "misinformation communication campaigns" considering the fact that Bill Gates, in a Feb. 4th, 2011 interview on CNN with Sanjay Gupta said that "anti-vaccine groups "kill children."" Here is the full quote:

“So it's an absolute lie that has killed thousands of kids. Because the mothers who heard that lie, many of them didn't have their kids take either pertussis or measles vaccine, and their children are dead today. And so the people who go and engage in those anti-vaccine efforts -- you know, they, they kill children. It's a very sad thing, because these vaccines are important.”

It is quite possible that any dissenting voice not in support of universal vaccination campaigns may be included in this type of "surveillance and alert system" as a potentially endangering the lives of others, i.e. "killing children." What is so ironic about the situation is that the Gates Foundation supported Polio Global Eradication Initiative may have resulted in over 47,500 cases of vaccine-induced paralysis in Indian children in 2011 alone, and which is twice as deadly as the wild-type polio it claimed to have put an end to officially on Jan. 11 2012. Who here then, is truly concerned about the health of children?

Moreover, it is exceedingly difficult to view Bill & Melinda Gates foundation's GCGH as a strictly humanitarian foundation considering many of the projects it chooses to fund. Here are a few listed on their website which have already received funding.

Synthetic Lymph Nodes: Steven Meshnick and Carla Hand of the University of North Carolina in the U.S. will develop a bio-compatible, biodegradable polymer device that can be placed under the skin to introduce vaccines and antigens to the immune system. The device will attract immune cells and trigger their proliferation as well asact as an adjuvant at the site of injection. If successful, the device could help boost immune response to new and existing vaccines. [see our article on transhumanistic technologies].

Needle Free Vaccination Via Nanoparticle Aerosols: Vaccine delivery systems that target specific areas of the body have the potential to be especially effective against some types of infection. For example, inhaled vaccines may better guard against respiratory diseases, such as tuberculosis, and those that commonly infect the tissues of the nose and throat, such as diphtheria. Dr. Edwards is leading a multidisciplinary team using materials science technologies combined with infectious disease, device, and toxicology expertise to reformulate tuberculosis and diphtheria vaccines into aerosol sprays that can be inhaled. The team's ultimate objective is to develop a cell-based BCG vaccine for tuberculosis and a protein antigen CRM 197 vaccine for diphtheria in the form of novel porous nanoparticle aggregate (PNAP) aerosols.

Plant-Produced Synthetic RNA Vaccines: Alison McCormick of Touro University, California in the U.S. will test the ability of a low-cost plant-based synthetic biology method to produce a combined viral protein epitope with an antigen RNA expression system for use in an RNA malaria vaccine. Using plants for this viral transfection system could make RNA vaccine production scalable and cost effective.

Profitable Vaccine Distribution In Emerging Markets: Lisa Ganley-Leal and Pauline Mwinzi of Epsilon Therapeutics, Inc. in the U.S. will test the hypothesis that selling vaccines through medicine shops in emerging markets can lead to profits for both vaccine developers and the small business owners. Demonstrating profitability may lead pharmaceutical companies to invest greater resources in vaccine development and distribution and develop local partnerships for profitability strategies.

Genetically Programmed Pathogen Sense and Destroy: Saurabh Gupta and Ron Weiss of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S. proposed creating sentinel cells that can detect the presence of a pathogen, report its identity with a biological signal, and secrete molecules to destroy it. This project's Phase I research demonstrated that commensal bacteria can be engineered to detect and specifically kill the model bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In Phase II, Gupta and Weiss will engineer the human microbiota to specifically detect and destroy the gut pathogen Shigella flexneri, which is responsible for high mortality rates in children.

Vaccine in a Salt Shaker: A New, Safe, Low-Cost Approach: Shiladitya DasSarma will lead a team at the University of Maryland, Baltimore in the U.S. to develop an inexpensive, safe, and effective oral vaccine against invasive Salmonella disease using gas-filled bacterial vesicles. The project seeks to produce a salt-encased, shelf-stable vaccine requiring no refrigeration for distribution worldwide.

A Humanized Mouse Model to Evaluate Live Attenuated Vaccine Candidates: To develop new vaccines against some of the world's biggest killers, including HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, scientists must be able to evaluate promising candidates. Some of the most promising potential vaccines, are made from weakened live versions of the infectious agent. As a result, they cannot be studied in human trials unless researchers can be confident that the weakened vaccines will be safe. Dr. Flavell and his colleagues are working to genetically engineer laboratory mice whose immune systems are similar enough to humans to permit testing of vaccines against diseases that disproportionately affect people in the developing world.

Alternative Delivery of Human Milk Proteins to Infants: Qiang Chen of Arizona State University in the U.S. proposes to engineer edible plants, such as lettuce and rice, to express beneficial proteins found in human milk. The protein bodies in these plants allow for the stable, high accumulation of these human milk proteins, and the plants can either be eaten directly by infants or formulated into baby food to provide essential nutrients and antibacterial benefits.Non-Hormonal Female Contraceptive Targeting Egg-Specific Metalloprotease: John Herr of the University of Virginia in the U.S. will research the egg-specific membrane enzyme metalloprotease as a target for a non-hormonal female contraceptive. After determining the nature of the enzyme's catalytic pocket, a family of peptidomimetic compounds will be tested for their ability to bind to the enzyme and block its key role in egg fertilization.

Bacillus-Fermented Natto as Edible Vaccines for the Developing World: Michael Chan of the Ohio State Research Foundation in the U.S. will develop an engineered strain of bacteria used to ferment beans in traditional Asian and African diets, to display an antigen from the Tuberculosis bacterium. The engineered bacillus will then be used to make the traditional Asian dish natto, which can serve as a kind of oral vaccine to elicit a strong immune response. If successful, this strategy can be used to introduce a variety of disease antigens through culturally accepted foods.

Nanotechnology-Based Contraception: David Clapham of Children's Hospital Boston in the U.S. will develop and test a nanoparticle contraceptive that releases sperm tail inhibitors in response to vaginal pH changes or exposure to prostatic fluid. If successful, the nanoparticles could be incorporated into a vaginal gel to block sperm motility required for fertilization.
Circumcision tool For Traditional Ceremonies In Africa: Kathleen Sienko of the University of Michigan in the U.S. has developed a prototype circumcision tool for use in traditional ceremonies in Africa, and seeks to demonstrate the functionality, cultural suitability, and potential for low-cost mass production of the device. Such a tool could increase the circumcision rates leading to lower rates of HIV transmission in the region.

Discovery of Chemosensory Molecules as Novel Contraceptives: John Ngai and Scott Laughlin of the University of California, Berkeley in the U.S. seek to identify chemical compounds in the female reproductive system that guide sperm cells to the egg. By characterizing these "odorants," synthetic versions can be produced and administered to disrupt this navigation system thus inhibiting fertilization.Transgenic Cow Milk Containing Human Antimicrobial Protein: Hironori Matsushima of the University of Toledo in the U.S. will test the hypothesis that adding an antimicrobial peptide to powdered milk products can confer protection against enteric diseases. Research will focus on testing the peptide for its ability to kill pathogens in stomach conditions, and on its ability to maintain integrity through the milk pasteurization and drying processes.

Ultrasound as a Long-Term, Reversible Male Contraceptive: James Tsuruta and Paul Dayton of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill will study the ability of therapeutic ultrasound to deplete testicular sperm counts. Characterizing the most beneficial timing and dosage could lead to the development of a low-cost, non-hormonal and reversible method of contraception for men.

You will notice from the examples listed above that all of these funded projects involve the development of proprietary (read: potentially profitable) and as-of-yet unproven technologies, and which will require the transformation and/or alteration of a natural process or substance. Also, many of the grant disbursements have gone towards contraception. This appears to diverge from the GCGH's mission statement of "improving health in the developing world," insofar as it is focused on reducing population in the developed world, rather than supporting the health of those already living, in need of help.

Monday, August 27, 2012

NEW research is demonstrating that some common chemicals all around us may be even more harmful than previously thought. It seems that they may damage us in ways that are transmitted generation after generation, imperiling not only us but also our descendants.

Yet following the script of Big Tobacco a generation ago, Big Chem has, so far, blocked any serious regulation of these endocrine disruptors, so called because they play havoc with hormones in the body’s endocrine system.

One of the most common and alarming is bisphenol-A, better known as BPA. The failure to regulate it means that it is unavoidable. BPA is found in everything from plastics to canned food to A.T.M. receipts. More than 90 percent of Americans have it in their urine.

Even before the latest research showing multigeneration effects, studies had linked BPA to breast cancer and diabetes, as well as to hyperactivity, aggression and depression in children.

Maybe it seems surprising to read a newspaper column about chemical safety because this isn’t an issue in the presidential campaign or even firmly on the national agenda. It’s not the kind of thing that we in the news media cover much.

Yet the evidence is growing that these are significant threats of a kind that Washington continually fails to protect Americans from. The challenge is that they involve complex science and considerable uncertainty, and the chemical companies — like the tobacco companies before them — create financial incentives to encourage politicians to sit on the fence. So nothing happens.

Yet although industry has, so far, been able to block broad national curbs on BPA, new findings on transgenerational effects may finally put a dent in Big Chem’s lobbying efforts.

One good sign: In late July, a Senate committee, for the first, time passed the Safe Chemicals Act, landmark legislation sponsored by Senator Frank Lautenberg, a New Jersey Democrat, that would begin to regulate the safety of chemicals.

Evidence of transgenerational effects of endocrine disruptors has been growing for a half-dozen years, but it mostly involved higher doses than humans would typically encounter.

Now Endocrinology, a peer-reviewed journal, has published a study measuring the impact of low doses of BPA. The study is devastating for the chemical industry.

Pregnant mice were exposed to BPA at dosages analogous to those humans typically receive. The offspring were less sociable than control mice (using metrics often used to assess an aspect of autism in humans), and various effects were also evident for the next three generations of mice.

The BPA seemed to interfere with the way the animals processed hormones like oxytocin and vasopressin, which affect trust and warm feelings. And while mice are not humans, research on mouse behavior is a standard way to evaluate new drugs or to measure the impact of chemicals.

“It’s scary,” said Jennifer T. Wolstenholme, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Virginia and the lead author of the report. She said that the researchers found behaviors in BPA-exposed mice and their descendants that may parallel autism spectrum disorder or attention deficit disorder in humans.

Emilie Rissman, a co-author who is professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at University of Virginia Medical School, noted that BPA doesn’t cause mutations in DNA. Rather, the impact is “epigenetic” — one of the hot concepts in biology these days — meaning that changes are transmitted not in DNA but by affecting the way genes are turned on and off.

In effect, this is a bit like evolution through transmission of acquired characteristics — the theory of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, the 19th-century scientist whom high school science classes make fun of as a foil to Charles Darwin. In epigenetics, Lamarck lives.

“These results at low doses add profoundly to concerns about endocrine disruptors,” said John Peterson Myers, chief scientist at Environmental Health Sciences. “It’s going to be harder than just eliminating exposure to one generation.”

The National Institutes of Health is concerned enough that it expects to make transgenerational impacts of endocrine disruptors a priority for research funding, according to a spokeswoman, Robin Mackar.

Like a lot of Americans, I used to be skeptical of risks from chemicals like endocrine disruptors that are all around us. What could be safer than canned food? I figured that opposition came from tree-hugging Luddites prone to conspiracy theories.

Yet, a few years ago, I began to read the peer-reviewed journal articles, and it became obvious that the opposition to endocrine disruptors is led by toxicologists, endocrinologists, urologists and pediatricians. These are serious scientists, yet they don’t often have the ear of politicians or journalists.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

A study out of Buenos Aires has found that glyphosate, an herbicide created by Monsanto, and used on GMO soy in Argentina, could cause birth defects in unborn children. The most interesting thing about this revelation is that the herbicide known as glyphosate in Argentina, is also known to be connected with Roundup in the U.S.

Roundup Ingredient Shown to Cause Birth Defects
According to the Latin American Herald Tribune, researchers with the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research conducted the study on amphibian embryos. The lead researcher says their results are “completely comparable to what would happen in the development of a human embryo.”

“The noteworthy thing is that there are no studies of embryos on the world level and none where glyphosate is injected into embryos,” said professor Andres Carrasco, one of the lead authors of the study.

The amounts shown to cause birth defects were said to be much lower than those levels used in fumigations. However, it’s important to note that the glyphosate was injected directly into the fetuses, not administered via food products, as it would be in humans.

Still, it’s possible, because our food feeds our cells, which in turn would feed an embryo, that digestion of foods containing the chemical would have similar, though perhaps not as dramatic effects. And of course this isn’t the only time glyphosate and Monsanto’s Roundup has been shown to cause birth defects.

GMO soy is Argentina’s leading crop. They are the world’s third largest exporter, and they use between 180 and 200 million liters of glyphosate annually. In agricultural regions, where the spraying of this Monsanto chemical is common, numerous cancers have shown up that are being associated with it.

A district called Ituzaingo, outside of Cordoba, has seen about 300 cancer cases in the last eight years. This district houses only about 5,000 people.

“In communities like Ituzaingo it’s already too late, but we have to have a preventative system, to demand that the companies give us security frameworks and, above all, to have very strict regulations for fumigation, which nobody is adhering to out of ignorance or greed,” said Carrasco.

Carrasco, and others, are calling on the government of Argentina to fund more in-depth research into the effects of glyphosate on humans. He says, “The companies say that drinking a glass of glysophate is healthier than drinking a glass of milk, but the fact is that they’ve used us as guinea pigs.”

How much of a risk is West Nile Virus (WNV)? To some extent, only time will tell. But public health experts stress that there is no cause for fear and panic, or for panic driven "solutions." In fact, the so-called "solution" of spraying pesticides to kill mosquitoes will actually lead to bigger problems. Here are eight compelling reasons why spraying pesticides is not the answer to WNV.

1. Least Effective Measure
The US Center for Disease Control and other experts say that spraying or fogging is the least effective means for slowing the spread of WNV carrying mosquitoes. For fogging to have maximum effect, a mosquito has to be flying. Estimates are that fogging kills only about 10% of adult mosquitoes. The federal-provincial task force on WNV admits there is little evidence for the efficacy of insecticide spraying. Adult mosquitoes live only about two weeks, with new larvae hatching constantly. This means that spraying cannot be a one shot operation, but needs to be repeated frequently if chosen as a means of control .

2. Predators Harmed, Mosquitoes Thrive
Aerial spraying or fogging is more harmful to mosquito predators than to mosquitoes. Since predators are farther up the food chain, they will take in higher amounts of pesticide. By decreasing mosquito predator populations, aerial spraying actually leads to increases in mosquito populations. Data from a study in New York State published in the Journal for Mosquito Control found that after 11 years of insecticide spraying, the mosquito population had increased 15 times. Pesticide exposure also results in immune suppression in birds, which serve as the hosts for WNV. Birds exposed to organophosphate pesticides tend to suffer immune suppression (as do mammals, amphibians and other animals.) This makes them less able to fight off viral and bacterial infections, the very opposite of what is needed. Once infected with WNV, birds are more likely to develop symptoms and to remain ill longer than if they had not been exposed. Thus, pesticide spraying leads to more frequent and longer infections and higher viral loads in birds, making it more likely they will spread the disease to mosquitoes. This increases the possibility of mosquitoes transmitting the virus to humans and other mammals.

3. Super Mosquitoes, Sicker Mosquitoes
For some reason, as yet unknown, mosquitoes exposed to pesticides are more likely to have WNV in their salivary glands and develop a damaged gut lining which becomes more porous, allowing WNV to pass through. Over a decade of insecticide spraying to control encephalitis in Florida has not been effective, and mosquitoes are now 15 times more likely to pass on the disease. Mosquitoes, which have short life spans, go through many generations in a single year. The mosquitoes which are exposed to pesticides and survive are more likely to develop resistance to them. So aerial spraying contributes to the development of "super mosquitoes" which can only be killed by using higher amounts or different types of pesticides.

4. Immediate Human Health Effects
Immediate health effects on humans from exposure to sprayed pesticides are considerable. A letter from 26 prominent physicians and scientists in Quebec released last summer states, "Indiscriminate spraying of pesticides, especially in heavily populated urban areas, is far more dangerous to human health and the natural environment than a relatively small risk of West Nile Virus.... Ironically, such spraying is especially dangerous to those with impaired immunity for whose 'protection' such spraying is mainly being done. ..Those individuals who are most vulnerable in this chemical action against mosquitoes include children, pregnant women, the elderly, chemically sensitive and immuno-suppressed individuals, such as patients with AIDS and cancer, and people suffering with asthma and other allergies." Organophosphates are the most common class of pesticides used in mosquito control sprays. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), they are "efficiently absorbed by inhalation, ingestion and skin penetration" and were "the class of pesticides most often implicated in symptomatic illnesses among people in 1996."

5. Long Term Health Effects
Pesticides used in mosquito control can contribute to immune suppression in humans. A report from the World Resources Institute notes, "Impairment of the immune system by chemical pesticides can lead to allergies, auto immune disorders such as lupus, and cancer. It may also lead to infections to which one may be normally resistant." People with weakened immune systems are the most vulnerable to WNV. Thus, in the long term, aerial spraying may actually increase the number of people who become seriously ill from WNV. And immune system suppression has serious implications for other diseases as well, including SARS.

Malathion, Naled and Resmethrin are pesticides commonly used in mosquito control. Malathion, an organophosphate, is neurotoxic. It is the most common pesticide used in aerial spraying. In studies on rats, pesticides were shown to impair the blood-brain barrier. In humans, the more serious effects of WNV occur when the virus crosses the blood-brain barrier. Malathion, like all members of the organophosphate family, disrupts nervous system function. Besides causing headaches, nausea and diarrhea, it has been linked to gene damage causing attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). Other heath hazards identified in laboratory studies include damaged sperm, altered immune function, increased incidence of breast tumors, and increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Naled is another organophosphate which disrupts nervous system function, also causing headaches, nausea and diarrhea. Naled is most toxic when exposure occurs by inhalation. Lab tests connected exposure to Naled's breakdown product, dichlorvos, to aggressiveness and deterioration of memory and learning. Dichlorvos is also classified as a carcinogen, and interferes with prenatal brain development.

Resmethrin is considered by the World Health Organization as a "neuropoison." Its effects on the human nervous system are similar to its effects in insects. Lab studies on rats showed that Resmethrin interfered with reproduction, increasing numbers of stillborns even at the lowest exposure tested.

6. Long Term Environmental Effects
Most of the pesticides presently used for mosquito control do not selectively target mosquitoes. Malathion, Naled and Resmethrin kill all insects. This includes hundreds of beneficial insect species that pollinate crops and keep pests under control. Malathion is known to contaminate water, and is classified as highly toxic to most species of fish. In 1999, 90% of adult lobsters in Long Island Sound were killed by malathion used on land. Fish kills in the thousands have been reported following mosquito spraying. Since some species of fish feed on mosquito larvae, this is doubly counterproductive. Other organisms that feed on mosquito larva are also killed. Bird populations are also threatened. According to New York State wildlife pathologist Ward Stone, more of the birds sent to his unit for examination in 2000 died from pesticides than from WNV. Among the more frequent causes of bird death were broad band insecticides from the organophosphate category such as Dursban, diazinon and ethylparathion. Organophosphates used in mosquito control add harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to the atmosphere, and are precursors of ozone (smog) forming chemicals. This means they are contributors to global warming.

7. Keep Risk in Perspective
While the image of a new killer virus from the tropics is scary and makes for good media material, public health experts at all levels are attempting to help people put WNV in perspective. West Nile Virus is less dangerous than the flu. Only 1% of mosquitoes carry the WNV, even in places where WNV has been common for years. Because of our climate, the virus is not expected to overwinter, but would likely be reintroduced each year through bird migration. Less than 1% of people bitten by infected mosquitoes will have any symptoms, and most of those will be equivalent to a one day flu or headache. Studies in New York when WNV was most widespread found thousands of people who tested positive for WNV but had never experienced any symptoms of illness. People bitten by infected mosquitoes, even those who experience no symptoms, will develop a lifetime immunity to the disease. In Africa and Europe, the virus occurs in cycles, with typically three years of human infections in late summer, with the majority of infections in the first year of a cycle. Then the virus fades into the background, and may not reappear for many years. In Africa, WNV is a childhood disease; adults have developed immunity.

8. Taking a Long-term Approach
WNV may be one of a number of tropical diseases which will spread to our geo- graphic area with global warning. Instead of panic and sensationalism, we need a rational, long term problem-solving approach which is healthy for humans and the environment. Reducing mosquito breeding sites (standing water), known as source control, is the most effective mosquito control method. Since adult mosquitoes seldom travel more than 1 kilometer, source control in a neighborhood can be extremely effective and quite non-toxic. Experts stress the value of source controls such as mechanical flushing of sewer catch basins, and introduction of dragonfly larvae in nearby ponds and lakes. These methods have been practiced with great success in Wells, Maine for 26 years. Maintaining healthy mosquito predator populations is an important part of a mosquito control strategy. Eliminating mosquito larvae, through predators and biological means and if absolutely necessary via pesticides, is far more effective than trying to kill adult mosquitoes. And ultiimately, the most effective defense against WNV is a healthy ecosystem and a healthy immune system in humans, birds and other species.

In May 2012 I attended the Low Carb Cruise featuring cardiologist Dr. William Davis. The cruise was a great experience where I got to hang out with many leaders in the health and wellness field. Dr. Davis is the NY Times bestselling author of Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health which outlines how wheat is contributing to many health conditions including diabetes, cancer and obesity. Dr. Davis even overcame his own Type 2 diabetes diagnosis by changing his diet. The following are some of the reasons your daily bread, cereal and pasta are ruining your health. According to Dr. Davis “eating more healthy whole grains” is ineffective, fattening, and downright destructive.

All types wheat (including whole wheat) have a high glycemic index (GI), which can increase your glycemic load and create Type 2 diabetes over time. Amylopectin A is a complex carbohydrate that is broken down quickly in the mouth and can raise blood sugar more than 6 teaspoons of sugar. Eating just two slices of whole wheat bread will raise blood sugar more than a Snickers bar.

Amylopectin A is a starch in wheat that triggers an increase of dangerous small LDL particle formation which is low density cholesterol that can get clog blood vessels. A diet high in carbohydrates such as bread will create too much small dense LDL.

Wheat has gliadin which is an addictive opiates that stimulates our appetite throughout the day and impairs our ability to say no to high carbohydrate foods. These exorphins cause food obsession and unbearable hunger.

Genetic manipulations were used in the 1970′s to create a high-yield, short and stocky strain of wheat which creates an agricultural Frankengrain. These changes to the plant altered the amino acid profile, meaning the wheat of today has totally different effects on our delicate digestive systems than the grains of early agricultural times.

Wheat consumption stimulates an excess of female hormones in men which reduces testosterone, creating male breasts and erectile dysfunction.

Amylopectin A is a starch in wheat that sets off a vicious cycle of deep abdominal belly fat and hormone havok. Extra belly fat makes inflammatory chemicals that promote estrogen dominance which increases cancer risk in men and women.
Wheat is hidden in most boxed foods to stimulate appetite to keep us coming back for more.

After the introduction of agricultural products like wheat, about 10,000 years ago, human health declined. Early agricultural people showed signs of cavities, short stature, poor facial structure, and lowered bone density when compared to traditional hunter-gather cultures.

Seemingly nutritious wheat germ and sprouted wheat has lectins, which are poisons that keep humans from digesting the seed. These lectins cause significant damages and irritation in the small intestine over time.

Wheat germ agglutinin found in the wheat kernels unlocks the tight barriers of the small intestine letting undigested food into the bloodstream increasing the risk for autoimmune conditions such as MS, Lupus, Chrohn’s, and Hashimoto’s thyroid disease.

Fiber can be abundantly and easily obtained from fruits, vegetables and nuts. Wheat and other grains can cause constipation, the opposite effect most people are seeking from fiber.

Wheat consumption can interfere with the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin in the small intestine creating depression, rage and anxiety in many people.

Bonus tip:

Long term ingestion of wheat can cause heartburn because food ferments and expands in the stomach. This undigested food pushes acid into the esophagus. Wheat also neutralizes important digestive enzymes in the stomach delaying the assimilation process, which creates more discomfort.

Overall, 73 H3N2 positive submissions were detected in FY2011 (October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011) and 138 in FY2012 from October 1, 2011 to July 31, 2012. 57 Of the 138 H3N2 cases identified in FY2012 and tested to date contain the pandemic M gene and were classified as H3N2pM.

The above USDA update from the CDC website confirms that the bulk of the USDA data has already been made public at Genbank and the discordance between the human and swine sub-clades in circulation in FY2012 does not support swine to human transmission.

As seen in the above numbers, as well as larger collections described at the CDC site, most swine influenza is not H3N2 and most H3N2 does not have the H1N1pdm09 M gene. However, of greater significance is the number of isolates (57) with H1N1pdm09 M gene in recent collections (FY2012). In this collection period the CDC has released 45 sets of sequences with the H1N1pdm09 M gene (which is heavily weighted with H3N2pM isolates).

Thus, sequences from only 12 H3N2pM have not been made public, and these sequences are likely either non-matches or recent, and therefore of little significance in the analysis since the number of reported human cases exploded in July, and swine isolates from that time period may have been due to human to swine transmission.

Although there are 45 H3N2pM sequences collected in FY2012, only 19 of these sequences have HA and NA sequences that match the human cases from 2011/2012 and only 2 of the 19 match the 2012 human cases (see list below). Thus, the widespread H3N2v in swine cited by the CDC per USDA are largely matches with the human sub-clade from 2011 and none of the 2012 human cases match this sub-clade.

In contrast, the 20 most recent human sequences, which were all collected in FY2012, match the 2 cases with N2 from a swine H3N2 lineage. This discordance is even more dramatic for the most recent isolates from Indiana and Ohio. Since March 2012 there have been 9 swine isolates and 8 of the 9 match the sub-clade in last year’s human cases. Moreover 8 of these 9 collections were from Indiana or Ohio.

Thus, of the 8 most recent isolates from Indiana and Ohio, only one matches the human 2012 cases, while the seven that match the 2011 cases, but have not produced any reported human cases in 2012.

Therefore, the CDC claim of USDA support for swine to human transmission is refuted by the public data, which represents the key data generated by the USDA.

The only real support for the CDC position is their heavily biased sample collection which creates a link with swine because testing is largely limited to samples collected from patients with swine exposure.

Friday, August 17, 2012

The popular spice turmeric packs more than just flavor — it shows promise in fighting devastating viruses, Mason researchers recently discovered.

Curcumin, found in turmeric, stopped the potentially deadly Rift Valley Fever virus from multiplying in infected cells, says Aarthi Narayanan, lead investigator on a new study and a research assistant professor in Mason’s National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases.

Mosquito-borne Rift Valley Fever virus (RVF) is an acute, fever-causing virus that affects domestic animals such as cattle, sheep and goats, as well as humans. Results of the study were publishedthis month in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
“Growing up in India, I was given turmeric all the time,” says Narayanan, who has spent the past 18 months working on the project. “Every time my son has a throat infection, I give (turmeric) to him.”

There’s more work to do before curcumin-based pharmaceuticals become commonplace, Narayanan emphasizes. She plans to test 10 different versions of curcumin to determine which one works the best. She also intends to apply the research to other viruses, including HIV.

Narayanan has long wanted to explore the infection-fighting properties of turmeric, in particular its key component, curcumin. “It is often not taken seriously because it’s a spice,” she says.

But science is transforming the spice from folk medicine to one that could help a patient’s body fight off a virus because it can prevent the virus from taking over healthy cells. These “broad-spectrum inhibitors” work by defeating a wide array of viruses.
“Curcumin is, by its very nature, broad spectrum,” Narayanan says. “However, in the published article, we provide evidence that curcumin may interfere with how the virus manipulates the human cell to stop the cell from responding to the infection.”
Kylene Kehn-Hall, a co-investigator on the study, adds, “We are very excited about this work, as curcumin not only dramatically inhibits RVFV replication in cell culture but also demonstrates efficacy against RVFV in a mouse model.”

Narayanan and her colleagues study the connection between a virus and how it impacts the host — human or animal. Symptoms clue in the researcher about the body’s inner workings. Rift Valley Fever and Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis kick off with flu-like symptoms.

Symptoms can make it challenging for someone to recover. The body usually starts with an exaggerated inflammatory response because it doesn’t know where to start to rid itself of the virus, she says.

“Many times, the body goes above and beyond what is necessary,” Narayanan says. “And that’s not good because it’s going to influence a bunch of cells around the infection, which haven’t seen the bug. That’s one way by which disease spreads through your body. And so it is very important to control the host because a lot of times the way the host responds contributes to the disease.”

Controlling the symptoms means more than simply making the patients feels better. “You’re giving the antiviral a chance to work. Now an antiviral can go in and stop the bug. You’re no longer trying to keep the host alive and battling the bug at the same time.”

Once Narayanan knows how the body responds to a virus, it’s time to go after the bug itself.

She’s applying this know-how to a family of viruses called Bunyaviruses, which feature Rift Valley fever, and such alphaviruses as Venezuelan equine encephalitis and retroviruses, which notably include HIV.

She delves into uncovering why and how each virus affects the patient. “Why are some cell types more susceptible to one type of infection than another?”

HIV goes after the immune system. Bunyaviruses will infect a wide range of cells but do maximum damage to the liver. “What is it about the liver that makes it a sitting duck compared to something like the brain?” Narayanan asks.

Ultimately, curcumin could be part of drug therapies that help defeat these viruses, Narayanan says.

“I know this works. I know it works because I have seen it happen in real life,” Narayanan says. “I eat it every day. I make it a point of adding it to vegetables I cook. Every single day.”

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

"Human infections with an influenza A (H3N2) variant (H3N2v) virus that contains the M gene from the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus (2009 H1N1 pandemic virus) were first detected in 2011. Notably, a large increase in cases of H3N2v virus infection has been identified since July 2012. (This virus has been circulating among pigs in the U.S. since 2011, has been detected in pigs in many states, and appears to be circulating widely in swine in the U.S.)"

The above comments from the CDC H3N2v August 10, 2012 update for physicians are false. The H3N2v that has increased in humans since July 2012 has not been circulating in many states and data supporting wide circulation is clearly lacking. The July 2012 H3N2v sequences from cases matches the earlier sequences from Utah in March, as well as the West Virginia cases in November and December, 2011. The H3N2v detected in many states has not been reported in a human since November, 2011.

The CDC claims represent pseudoscience and raise serious concerns about the CDC’s abiity to analyze its own data. Moreover, false statements, such as those in the physician’s update are accepted as evidence that the latest H3N2v cases are due to H3N2 jumping from swine to humans, even though the swine distribution supports the jumping of H3N2v from humans to swine.

The H3N2v detected in the initial human cases has not been identified in any swine isolate collected prior to the first human case in July 2011. A recent Journal of Virology paper, "The evolution of novel reassortant A/H3N2v influenza virus in North American swine and humans, 2009-2011", described 674 MP sequences from swine collections from 2009-2010, as well as 388 HA and NA sequences from these isolates. The extensive survey of USDA public sequences as well as a large series generated by the authors of the paper, identified one match with the H3N2v identified in the first 10 human cases in 2011. This isolate, A/swine/NY/A01104005/2011, was from a September 17, 2011 and was initially noted in November, 2011.

More recently released sequences identified additional matches. However, the earliest matches, A/swine/Iowa/A01202529/2011 and A/swine/Iowa/A01202530/2011, were collected on August 22, 2011 which followed the first human case, A/Indiana/08/2011, which was from July, 2011.

Thus, the extensive USDA surveillance failed to identify any examples of the matching H3N2v in swine prior to the first human case.

Subsequent sequences identified a total of 24 swine isolates from 6 states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, New York, Ohio, and Texas) which matched (based on HA, NA, MP sequences) the H3N2v from the first 10 human cases. However none of the 2012 human H3N2v cases, including the sequences from July collections from four outbreaks in three states (Hawaii, Indiana, Ohio), matched the constellation in the 24 swine isolates above (or the first 10 reported human cases in 2011). The July, 2012 H3N2v sequences matched a novel constellation (with an N2 from H3N2 swine), first identified in a large human cluster in at a West Virginia day care center, where the confirmed cases had no swine contact or exposure.

This novel sub-clade has only been identified in two swine isolates from samples collected prior to the July, 2012 cases. These two isolates, A/swine/North Carolina/A01203272/2012 and A/swine/Indiana/A01203509/2012, were collected in 2012, well after the West Virginia cluster from November and December cases.

The absence of any human 2012 cases which match the swine sequences described by the CDC cast serious doubt on the CDC position of swine H3N2 jumps to humans are a major cause of human cases, and instead supports the jump of human H3N2v into swine, leading to widespread detections in swine that follow novel constellations or sequences in humans.

Thus, the false statements by the CDC to physicians and the media continues to raise pandemic concerns and highlights the need for an independent investigation into the ability of the CDC to analyze its sequence data and convey those results to decision makers and the public.

Vaginal birth triggers the expression of a protein in the brains of newborns that improves brain development and function in adulthood, according to a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers, who also found that this protein expression is impaired in the brains of offspring delivered by caesarean section (C-sections).

These findings are published in the August issue of PLoS ONE by a team of researchers led by Tamas Horvath, the Jean and David W. Wallace Professor of Biomedical Research and chair of the Department of Comparative Medicine at Yale School of Medicine.

The team studied the effect of natural and surgical deliveries on mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) in mice. UCP2 is important for the proper development of hippocampal neurons and circuits. This area of the brain is responsible for short- and long-term memory. UCP2 is involved in cellular metabolism of fat, which is a key component of breast milk, suggesting that induction of UCP2 by natural birth may aid the transition to breast feeding.

The researchers found that natural birth triggered UCP2 expression in the neurons located in the hippocampal region of the brain. This was diminished in the brains of mice born via C-section. Knocking out the UCP2 gene or chemically inhibiting UCP2 function interfered with the differentiation of hippocampal neurons and circuits, and impaired adult behaviors related to hippocampal functions.

“These results reveal a potentially critical role of UCP2 in the proper development of brain circuits and related behaviors,” said Horvath. “The increasing prevalence of C-sections driven by convenience rather than medical necessity may have a previously unsuspected lasting effect on brain development and function in humans as well.”

April was Autism Awareness Month and yet autism is virtually unknown outside of the circle of families that harbour those unfortunate children who have been afflicted with this strange disorder. Strange, because these children are rarely affected from birth; they proceed normally and then suddenly change in front of their hapless parents’ eyes to become a shadow of their former selves. Then begins a struggle the magnitude of which can be appreciated only by those touched by the disorder; be they victims, their parents or caregivers. The doctors generally shrug their shoulders and refer these children to various therapists who ignore the extensive physical damage lurking in them.

Autism, dubbed a neuro-behavioral development disorder, is a painful condition involving the body, mind and emotions. It is an epidemic today. From roughly 1 in 10,000 when first discovered by psychiatrist Leo Kanner in 1943, who remarked that it was a novel disorder not previously known, it has steadily climbed to 1 in 88—1 in 54 among boys. Doctors in the USA following the condition put the unofficial figure, based on more recent data, at 1 in 25. In South Korea, a recent Autism Speaks study pegged the figure at 1 in 38. Going by the official figure in India, it is admitted that there are upwards of 13,500,000 children who are autistic in India.

This epidemic that is raging across countries, across continents, crossing all barriers religious, ethnic, and social, is a “silent epidemic” signifying the deafening silence that has greeted its spread. As we shall see, autism is not only a silent epidemic; it is also a conspiracy of silence.

Autism is a complex disorder, the likes of which has been seen earlier on three occasions. A similar disorder appeared in children when they were treated with Calomel, a mercury-containing compound used to de-worm children until 1954. It was seen in Japan during the Minamata Bay Poisoning episode in 1956, which was caused by a chemical factory’s mercury spill into the Bay, and in Iraq in 1971 when villagers fed on a consignment of mercury-treated wheat that was meant for sowing and not for consumption.

Mercury, the second most dangerous neurotoxin known to humanity, is a part of our toxic environment. Its ubiquitous presence in hospital settings, its emission from coal based power plants, its use as an amalgam in dental fillings, its presence in mercury vapour lamps, and its use as a preservative in various vaccines have always been a source of concern. While the other uses carry environmental risks and therefore are protested by environmental groups, the mercury used in vaccines is overlooked.

Per official spokesmen, mercury injected into children and not released into the atmosphere poses no problem. Moreover, as the mercury used in vaccines is ethyl mercury, and not methyl mercury as experts point out, it is perceived to be less toxic. This is despite an American Academy of Pediatrics study published in the medical journal Pediatrics, Vol 108 in July 2001, stating very clearly that “Mercury in all of its forms is toxic to the fetus and children, and efforts must be made to reduce exposure to the extent possible to the pregnant women and children as well as the general population”.

The intense toxicity of ethyl mercury has been borne out by many significant scientific studies conducted by independent scientists. The 1985 Magos et al study clearly points to the fact that this form of mercury caused extensive damage to organs it pervades, particularly the kidneys and brain. A 2005 study by Burbacher et al revealed the ethyl mercury converted to inorganic mercury more readily than methyl mercury and is thus effectively trapped in the brain causing steady damage. The Bernard et al study of 2001 titled “Autism: a novel form of mercury poisoning” cited more than 200 similarities between mercury poisoning and autism.

Apart from these, experiments on monkeys have shown that vaccinations can induce autism-like symptoms. What is more important is that 83 cases of vaccine induced autism-like symptoms have been admitted by the Vaccine Courts in the USA and these cases have been awarded compensation. Despite tough laws virtually denying parents of vaccine damaged children their right to file court cases demanding compensation, more than 5000 such cases are pending before the courts.

There have, however, been studies that have sought to exonerate vaccines. Of particular interest are two groups of studies conducted by the CDC of the USA, considered to be the final authority on the subject of vaccines.

The first one was by Dr Thomas Verstraeten of the CDC, who found a very strong association between mercury-containing vaccines and autism after analysing available data through computerised hospital databases. He sought “help” from other scientists and effectively watered down the study but “the association would not go away”. So in 2000 an invitation-only conference was arranged by the CDC in Simpsonwood, USA, where a decision was taken by medical scientists, industry representatives and doctors to further dilute the study and destroy the link between vaccines and autism before its publication in the Journal Pediatrics in 2003.

There were then the “Danish Studies” which were conducted under the aegis of Dr Poul Thorsen, and which “effectively proved” that vaccines do not cause autism. These studies were extensively quoted by the authorities to quell the growing furor against vaccines worldwide. The euphoria did not last however, as the US police went after Dr Poul Thorsen when it was found that he had not conducted a portion of the studies, but had produced false documents to siphon off a major chunk of CDC funds meant to finance the studies. Dr Thorsen has since been indicted on 13 counts of fraud and nine counts of money laundering that could put him behind bars for life.

If the above is not a conspiracy then what is? Angry parents have described their children as “poisoned for profit”. In fact a US Government investigation categorically stated that those who ought to have monitored the entire situation have been “asleep at the switch”. It is still more shameful that in this entire sordid episode it is the public who have educated themselves to become investigative scientists. Those qualified experts who ought to have blown the whistle on the entire murky episode have preferred to stay mum and instead have chosen to attack those heretics who dared point out the truth.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Beekeepers have succeeded in preventing, through two suspensions obtained in amparo (specialized protection), the seeding of transgenic soy for 253,500 hectares in Campeche, Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, Veracruz, and Chiapas.

59 organizations of beekeepers, environmentalists, and NGO´s have maintained that the amparos (or protections) granted by the second district court of Campeche, are setting a precedent to continue demanding the definitive suspension of permits that have been issued by SAGARPA to Monsanto.

The organizations added in their press release communication that they will not cease in their fight for production that is free of transgenic interference. They have been encouraged greatly by the recent Felipe Carrillo Puerto council, which approved the initiative to declare its territory a “GMO-free zone”.

The Felipe Carrillo Puerto council ruling signifies that the judges of Chiapas, Quintana Roo, and Yucatan have resolved in favor of the organizations that presented the initiative.

The producers interested in the seeding of transgenic soybeans “are at risk when investing in such cultivation, as there is now a strong opposition and legal and political struggle that this country be declared a GMO-free zone” stated the press communication.

During a reunion at SAGARPA, Simon Treviño Alcantara, director general of the Fomento a la Agricultura, assured that this year there will be no planting of transgenic soybean. He insisted that this seeding would affect close to 25 thousand families that survive in the agricultural sector.

Alcantara mentioned that European businesses have suspended the purchase of honey from Yucatan and Quintana Roo until they have evidence that the product is free of transgenic organisms.

Environmental groups, women, and community development organizations in Chiapas reiterated their rejection of transgenic planting of 30,000 hectares in the municipalities of Acacoyagua, Acapetahua, Cacahotan, Escuintla, Frontera Hidalgo, Huehuetan, Huixtla, Mazatan, Metapa, Suchiapa, Suchiate, Tapachula, Tuxtla Chico, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Tuzantan, Villa Comaltitilan, and Villaflores, as most of these areas are near protected natural zones.

The environmental groups argued that Monsanto sells to farmers who plant the transgenic soybean a required herbicide, Roundup Ready, whose formula contains glyphosate, a chemical that when dissolved in water damages plants, animals, and people.

Beekeepers blame Juan Elvira Quesada, Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), in evading its responsibility in the approval of GM seed, this organization has the ability to issue an opinion to the SAGARPA binding so the institution can issue a final and negative decision to plant GM crops.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

The news surrounding GMO crops continues to get further and further outlandish as the crops are increasingly mutated and sprayed with a medley of harsh pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides. The latest news comes from an unlikely source — an automotive publication known as Autoblog. The website reports that farmers who have opted to plant Monsanto’s genetically modified seeds have run into one daunting problem (outside of decreased yields and an extremely higher risk of disease): little ‘spear-like’ stalks from the harvested GMOs are absolutely wreaking havoc on the heavy duty tractor tires.

Described by one farmer as a ‘field of little spears’, farmers are now turning to kevlar tires. In case you’re not aware, kevlar is the same material used in bulletproof vests to protect from gun bullets.

The stalks are so sharp and weapon-like that they can wreck an entire set of wheels, which is a daunting reality when considered that one tractor can have as many as eight heavy duty tires. Furthermore, a single tractor tire can easily cost thousands of dollars. Thanks to the GMO crops, the average lifespan of a tractor tire has dwindled from five or six years down to just one or two — if the farmer is lucky. Add that to the exponentially increased amount of pesticide use required to maintain modified crops thanks to heavily mutated ‘super’ rootworms and other insects, and it’s easy to see how GMO farming is nothing but a monetary pitfall for farmers.

Strange reports like these may ultimately be what it takes for the public to truly be concerned about genetically modified seeds and ingredients. Outside of the massive amount of research highlighting the damaging effects of GMOs on human biology, the environment, and nature as a whole, it oftentimes takes a bizarre incident such as this in order to fully gain the attention of the far-reaching press. The longer the use of GMOs is allowed nationwide, the more bizarre and outlandish stories will begin to emerge.

As if mutant insects, superweeds, decreased biosphere microorganism population, and direct organ stress weren’t enough, now Monsanto’s GMO crops can be easily utilized as a sharp and deadly weapon.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

A new study raises concern about chronic exposure of workers in industry to a food flavoring ingredient used to produce the distinctive buttery flavor and aroma of microwave popcorn, margarines, snack foods, candy, baked goods, pet foods and other products. It found evidence that the ingredient, diacetyl (DA), intensifies the damaging effects of an abnormal brain protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The study appears in ACS’ journal Chemical Research in Toxicology.

Robert Vince and colleagues Swati More and Ashish Vartak explain that DA has been the focus of much research recently because it is linked to respiratory and other problems in workers at microwave popcorn and food-flavoring factories. DA gives microwave popcorn its distinctive buttery taste and aroma. DA also forms naturally in fermented beverages such as beer, and gives some chardonnay wines a buttery taste. Vince’s team realized that DA has an architecture similar to a substance that makes beta-amyloid proteins clump together in the brain — clumping being a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. So they tested whether DA also could clump those proteins.

DA did increase the level of beta-amyloid clumping. At real-world occupational exposure levels, DA also enhanced beta-amyloid’s toxic effects on nerve cells growing in the laboratory. Other lab experiments showed that DA easily penetrated the so-called “blood-brain barrier,” which keeps many harmful substances from entering the brain. DA also stopped a protective protein called glyoxalase I from safeguarding nerve cells. “In light of the chronic exposure of industry workers to DA, this study raises the troubling possibility of long-term neurological toxicity mediated by DA,” say the researchers.

The Pentagon’s DARPA lab has announced a milestone, but it doesn’t involve drones or death missiles. Scientists at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency say they’ve produced 10 million doses of an influenza vaccine in only one month’s time.

In a press release out of the agency’s office this week, scientists with DARPA say they’ve reach an important step in being able to combat a flu pandemic that might someday decimate the Earth’s population. By working with the Medicago Inc. vaccine company, the Pentagon’s cutting edge research lab says that they’ve used a massive harvest of tobacco plants to help produce a plethora of flu-fighting vaccines.

“Testing confirmed that a single dose of the H1N1 VLP influenza vaccine candidate induced protective levels of hemagglutinin antibodies in an animal model when combined with a standard aluminum adjuvant,” the agency writes, while still noting, though, that “The equivalent dose required to protect humans from natural disease can only be determined by future, prospective clinical trials.”

Researchers have before relied on using chicken eggs to harvest compounds to use in influenza vaccines. With a future outbreak requiring scientists to step up with a solution as soon as possible, though, they’ve turned to tobacco plants to help produce the vaccines.

“Vaccinating susceptible populations during the initial stage of a pandemic is critical to containment,” Dr. Alan Magill, DARPA program manager, says in an official statement. “We’re looking at plant-based solutions to vaccine production as a more rapid and efficient alternative to the standard egg-based technologies, and the research is very promising.”

The World Health Organization has gone on the record to say that as much as half of the people on the planet could be affected by a pandemic in the near future, and it could take as much as nine months for a vaccine for a pandemic virus strain to become made available. With the lives of billions of people across the world at stake, DARPA has been trying to determine new ways of churning out antidotes in as little time as possible. Now its researchers say, that in only a month, scientists “produced more than 10 million doses (as defined in an animal model) of an H1N1 influenza vaccine candidate based on virus-like particles (VLP).”

Through DARPA’s previously established Blue Angel program, researchers have spent several years searching for new ways to produce mass quantities of vaccine-grade protein that could be used to combat what they say are very real emerging and novel biological threats.

Andy Sheldon, Chief Executive Officer of Medicago , says in the company’s own press release that "The completion of the rapid fire test marks a substantial achievement in demonstrating our technology and the potential for Medicago to be the first responder in the event of a pandemic flu outbreak.”

Medicago’s research was conducted in a 97,000-square-foot vaccine facility in North Carolina that was funded through a $21 million Technology Investment Agreement with DARPA.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Autoimmune diseases are a modern plague, causing untold suffering and early, painful death. This study clearly documents that vaccinations are a primary cause.

A major curse of modern living is the advent of mass suffering from chronic autoimmune diseases. They have become the way we live and the way we die. Now, a study published in PLoS One has documented that vaccinations may be causing this plague.

The study, Self-Organized Criticality Theory of Autoimmunity, produced a wide variety of tests on animals to examine the fact that, as they stated:

Systemic autoimmunity appears to be the inevitable consequence of over-stimulating the host’s immune ‘system’ by repeated immunization with antigen, to the levels that surpass system’s self-organized criticality.

In other words, they found that, not only is vaccination a possible or even probable cause of autoimmune disorders, but that:

Chronic diseases are the inevitable result of vaccinations!

In their introduction, the authors further describe their discovery:

The method we have chosen was to stimulate the system maximally by antigen to the levels far beyond its steady-state just like testing the capability of automobile. In a perfectly reproducible experiments in which the mice not prone to autoimmune diseases were immunized repeatedly with antigen, we have unexpectedly and surprisingly discovered that overstimulation of immune system beyond its self-organized criticality inevitably leads to systemic autoimmunity. [Emphasis mine.]

The mice used in this experiment were ones bred to have no autoimmune disorders, so the ability to stress them to the point of inevitably suffering from autoimmune disorders is particularly significant.

Study Findings

T-cells, commonly called killer cells, are a type of lymphocyte (white blood cell). They are a critical part of the immune system. CD4+ cells are a type of T-cell. They initiate the body’s response to infections. The study found that overstimulation of CD4+ cells results in the induction of autoantibodies, that is, antibodies that attack the self instead of invaders. That is virtually the definition of an autoimmune disease.

The authors specifically found tissue injury like that of the disease lupus erythematosus and other autoimmune disorders.

The researchers used Staphylococcus entertoxin B (SEB) to inject mice bred for their lack of autoimmunity. Injection initially resulted in loss of energy in a particular kind of CD4+ cell, Vβ8+. These cells recovered through 7 cycles of injections. However, the Vβ8+ cells were unable to recover after the 8th injection. At that point, they started to produce the autoantibodies.

As the term rheumatoid factor seems to imply, these are significant in rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disorder. The last item, anti-galactose deficiency IgG antibodies, is used as a marker to diagnose the disease.

The researchers also showed that ovalbumin (OVA) and keyhole limpet hemocyanin, also induce autoimmunity after the 8th injection.

Autoimmune Tissue Damage

The authors included graphic images of autoimmune tissue damage from the experiments.

The image above is of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell, in the kidneys of mice immunized 12 times. Both images are at 400X. The image on the left is (PBS) refers to a nonantigen injected. It shows grossly enlarged eosinophils resulting from autoimmune damage:

Immune complexes (ICs) of proteinuria are indications of autoantibodies. The image above shows the development of ICs of Immunoglobulin G (IgG), C3 (indicative of lupus erythematosus), and OVA in mice injected 12 times. As in the previous image, PBS refers to the results of the injection of a nonantigen, and the results on the bottom are injection of the known antigen, OVA. The image is of a microscopic magnification of 400X.

The next image above shows infiltration of CD8 cells in the kidneys and anti-interferon (IFN) autoantibodies in mice injected 12 times. The image is of a microscopic magnification of 300X. As in the prior images, PBS refers to injection of a nonantigen and OVA is the injected antigen.

Types of Damage Found

The authors state that they found the following types of tissue damage:

Diffuse membranous (wire-loop) glomerulonephritis in the kidney.
Proliferative glomerulonephritis in the kidney.
Infiltration of plasma cells around hepatic bile ducts.
Enlarged lymphoid follicles with marked germinal center in the spleen.
Occasional lymphocyte infiltration into the salivary glands.
Lymphoid cell infiltration into the thyroid
Perivascular infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages into the skin dermis of the auricle.
Positive lupus band test.
Autoimmune Diseases Are Infectious

The authors also reported that injection of the damaged CD4+ cells into the autoimmune disease-safe mice transferred the damage to them. The implications of that are huge. It means that no one suffering from an autoimmune disorder should be allowed to donate blood, because they could also be donating their diseases.

Implications

The researchers concluded:

Systemic autoimmunity appears to be the inevitable consequence of over-stimulating the host’s immune ‘system’ by repeated immunization with antigen, to the levels that surpass system’s self-organized criticality.

With this information in hand, can there be any justification for the current extreme vaccination schedule that exists in virtually all nations today? Can there be any wonder that the industrialized nations giving the greatest number of vaccinations are those with the greatest infant mortality rates?

The information exposed by this study clarifies that there can be no justification for the push to vaccinate. There is also no justification for the lack of research into the effects of the full schedule of vaccines.

With this information, the routine injection of vaccines into children or adults is clearly unjustified.

A number of reports within the mainstream news arena have begun surfacing surrounding the newly emerging H3N8 ’seal flu virus’, labeling it as the ‘next pandemic’ and hammering on the possibility for the virus to spread among humans. It seems that the media ultimately likes to hype up all pandemic ‘threats’ whether it be the notoriously-mild swine flu ‘pandemic’ or the looming bird flu explosion. With the surfacing of so many touted pandemics and alarming viruses always comes a push for rushed vaccinations, later followed by haunting reports of severe side effects (and years later confirmed by medical journals.)

But what about the seal flu virus? Is it a real threat, or a phony pandemic scare? The strain was first examined in New England among harbor seals by scientific researchers, killing over 162 of the seals over a four-month period. After launching an investigation headed by virologist W. Ian Lipkin, MD, of Columbia University, it was found that the mutated virus had actually transmitted from sea birds to the seals themselves. A number of reports within the mainstream news arena have begun surfacing surrounding the newly emerging H3N8 ’seal flu virus’, labeling it as the ‘next pandemic’ and hammering on the possibility for the virus to spread among humans. It seems that the media ultimately likes to hype up all pandemic ‘threats’ whether it be the notoriously-mild swine flu ‘pandemic’ or the looming bird flu explosion. With the surfacing of so many touted pandemics and alarming viruses always comes a push for rushed vaccinations, later followed by haunting reports of severe side effects (and years later confirmed by medical journals.)

But what about the seal flu virus? Is it a real threat, or a phony pandemic scare? The strain was first examined in New England among harbor seals by scientific researchers, killing over 162 of the seals over a four-month period. After launching an investigation headed by virologist W. Ian Lipkin, MD, of Columbia University, it was found that the mutated virus had actually transmitted from sea birds to the seals themselves.

The virus had mutated in a number of ways after affecting the seals, such as being able to spread among mammals — or at least from seal to seal as of right now. The virus infected the seals lung tissue and airways, and eventually became even more virulent.

Will the Seal Flu Virus be Combined with Bird Flu H5N1 to Make a ‘Super Virus’?

Of course the largest concern with this virus is the possibility that it will spread to humans from animals. Considering that it has already mutated somewhat substantially, mainstream media organizations are already sounding the alarm for pandemic mode. Experts say, however, that it’s highly unlikely that the H3N8 seal flu virus will even spread to humans. That is unless, of course, the mammal-adapted H3N8 were to combine with the H5N1 bird flu virus. Such a combination and subsequent mutations would provide a recipe for a potentially deadly ‘super’ virus.

What’s most concerning is the fact that this could most easily be expedited in a laboratory setting, making the virus highly weaponized.

It may sound outlandish to some, but bioterrorism experts have previously confirmed that such a concern does exist — even with the bird flu virus itself. When scientists recently published research on how to develop a highly-weaponized version of the H5N1 bird flu that could easily spread among humans, experts on bioterrorism began to speak out.

One such foremost expert on the subject is Paul Keim, chair of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity. In a statement on just how serious of an impact just weaponized bird flu could have on the world, Keim stated:

“This is such a dangerous biological weapon, it would not be controllable. Whoever used it would doubtlessly decimate their own people as well,” Keim said

It is quite easy, then, to see how a weaponized version of the human-adapted seal virus — a merger of two deadly strains — is particularly concerning. In the event that such a bioterrorism act were committed by a group or individual, it could be severely problematic. Whether or not this scenario will unfold is yet to be seen, however, it seems to be the most significant manner in which a real pandemic could develop through artificial means.

It is essential to begin bolstering up your immune system regardless of whether or not a new ‘pandemic’ is on the horizon. In addition to switching to high quality organic foods, drinking pure water, and performing sweat-inducing activities on a daily basis, here are my recommended ‘pandemic’ substances list to keep in your home at all times:

Oil of oregano
Liquid turmeric
High quality colloidal silver purchased from a reputable provider (Supernatural Silver is a great provider and is even approved by the FDA, believe it or not)
5,000 IU doses of Vitamin D3
Nascent atomic iodine
Probiotics or fermented foods like kefir